Adjustable support



March 10, 1942.

W. S, SAUNDERS ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT 5 Sheets-Sheet l 2 @gij Filed May l5, 1939 All.

R E D N U A S. S R .cm L A W.

March 10, 1942. W sl SAUNDERS 2,275,656

ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Filed May l5, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. WALTER S. SAUNDERS m4, g m

/ TORN March 10, 1942. w. s. SAUNDERS ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Filed May 15, 1959 3 sheets-sheet 5 INVENTOR. WALTER S. SAU NDERS m E o ,n A ay, l/ (v Y B Patented Mar. 10, 1942 ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Walter S. Saunders, Pontiac, Mich., assigner to American Forging & Socket Company, Pontiac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application May 15, 1939, Serial No. 273,607

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improved adjustable supporting means, particularly for objects, such as vehicle seats, which are normally required to be held rigidly in place,rbut which must be quickly and easily adjustable to different positions to suit the convenience of occupants.

Where such supporting devices are to be manufactured and used in large quantities, as in the production of automobiles and the like, considerations of economy virtually necessitate the use of sheet metal construction. While the use of sheet metal construction in devices of this character imparts great strength and resistance to breakage, it entails diculties in the elimination of weaving, rattling .and lost motion, due to the resiliency of this type of metal and the relatively thin cross sections which mustA be used if the benefits of economy are to be retained.

The present invention aims to provide an improved and greatly simplified sheet metal support construction of the character indicated, which allows the use of thin gaugemetal, yet is extremely rigid and strongly resists distortion. A

further object is toprovide improved means forl interconnecting the parts of such an adjustable support and for eliminating all lost motion between and rattlingr of the movable parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved anti-rattling and takeup means for adjustable supports of the character indicated, which means is very easily releasable, interposes very little resistance to movements of the parts during adjustment, and is not apt to become jammed or stuck.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of my invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several Views.

In the drawings:

` Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a seatsupporting assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention, fragmentarily indieating a oor and a seat carried thereby.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the assembly, with. the seat removed and with the synchronizing shaft centrally broken away.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view taken substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken substantially in the direction of the arrows.

on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and looking Figure 5 is a perspective view of the iront portion of one of the carriage assemblies.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the same carriage portion, and the adjacent track section upon which it is mounted, partly broken away.

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 'I--1 of Figure 6, and looking in the direction oi the arrows.

Figure 8 is `a view similar to Figure l, on a somewhatsmaller scale, showing a modiiied construction, and; y

Figures 9 and 10 are similar elevational views showing further modifications.

Referring now to the drawings:

Reference character I0 designates a floor, shown as formed of sheet metal, and which may be that of a vehicle. improved supporting means is shown fragmentarily in Figure 1. A pair of supporting assemblies are provided, one beneath each end of the seat and extending longitudinally thereof. The construction of the assemblies being similar, only one thereof will be described in full, whereafter the dierences between the assembly described and the other will be noted. -It will be understood that the two supporting assemblies are symmetrcally opposite in their general arrangement.

Describing rst the supporting assembly which carries the locking means; `it will be seen that a track member I5 is riveted or otherwise firmly attached to the floor Illv in upstanding relation. The central portion I6 of the track is higher than the ends, and comprises a vertical sheet metal panel portion, without a head. The front and rear portion will be seen to be somewhat lower, and to carry the T-shaped track heads I1, I8, fitted over and attached to the vertical supporting flange.

The carriage member 2U is in the form of an inverted channel, the webs of which are some what deeper near the ends. In such deeper web portions rollers 2l, 22, are journaled upon pins 23, 24 respectively. One roller travels over each of the track sections I1, I8, during adjustment of the seat. The lower ends of the roller supporting flanges are turned inwardly, as at 25, 26, to underlie the track heads and retain the carriage against vertical displacement. Each such retaining flange is curved upwardly longitudinally, in such manner as to engage the bottom of the track head only on a line directly below the roller. The resilience of the metal of the carriage is utilized to maintain such engagement with a denite pressure which takes up all clearance between the track and carriage, and in the A seat I2 carried by my tral portion of the outer web of the carriage 20 outlies the track and pivotally supports, upon a pin 3|, a locking detent 32 which, by means of a spring 33, is normally urged into engagement with one of a series of notches 35 formed in the out-turned base flange of the track. The

central portion of such base flange will be seen to be raised to accommodate such notches as well as to stiffcn the assembly. By lifting the detent lever to free it from the notches, the carriage may be freely slid to a new position, and thereafter locked by allowing the detent to reengage the nearest notch.

In the Opposite assembly, corresponding parts have been given like reference characters, distinguished by the `addition of the letter A to each.` Such opposite assembly need incorporate no locking means. The locking effect is transmitted to its carriage 20A by a cross shaft 4, which also serves to synchronize the-movements of the two carriages. The shaft is journaled at its ends in the opposite central portions t6, IGA of the tracks, and carries near each end a gear, 4 l, MA, one gear being aligned and meshing with each of the rack portions 44, MA, out in the bottom edges of the central portions of the inner carriage anges. between the carriages is thus provided.

'I'he raised central portion I6 of the track assembly will be seen to be engageableby -the rollers at the extremes of carriage movement, a positive stop being thus provided.

To hold the seat assembly against unwanted lateral play, additional spring means is provided in the form of leaf spring elements 5D, one carried by each of the roller pin members 23A, 24A of carriage A. 'Ihe spring members 50 are shaped to extend downwardly around the bottom flanges A, 2BA, and through suitable notches (undesignated) in the edges of such retaining flanges, to bear laterally against the track heads. The spring pressure thus provided is principally exerted in the direction indicated by the arrow 2'! of Figure 7, the lateral effort thus exerted supplementing the downward eiort of retaining anges 25, 25A, 26, 26A, and the seat being thus eifectively held, and lost motion being taken up, in all directions of possible movement.

Figure8 shows a somewhat modified construction in which the track portions |I1A, HSA are inclined at different angles, to cause the seat to change its pitch to a desired extent as it is moved toward the front and rear. The upwardly curved friction holding portion |25B will be seen to be centered upon a line (|50) perpendicular to the track drawn through the center ofthe roller. Other parts will be seen to be equivalent to those already described, and need no detailed redescription.

In the further modification shown in Figure 9, the forwardtrack section H1B is curved about a transverse axis, to vary the pitch of the seat during its travel, while the rear track section HSB is straight. Other corresponding parts requiring no detailed description, are designated A positive geared connection by reference characters similar to those of the last described embodiment but distinguished by the addition of the letter B to each.

Figure 10 shows a further modification in which the front and rear track sections lie on a common line curved about a common transverse axis, so that during its movement the elevation of the seat is changed both at the front and rear. It will be noted that the friction holding portions |25C, 126C, are located upon a `radial line extended through the centers of the I am aware that the invention may be ernbodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiments to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive; reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

1. Means for adjustably mountinga seat or the like,v comprising an upstanding support, a pair of longitudinally spaced track positions carried by the support, an intermediate portion carried by said support between and in substantially longitudinal alignment with the track portions and having abrupt ends projecting higher than the track portions, a carriage having spaced rollers adapted to travel on said track portions, an intermediate portion of the carriage extending over said higher intermediate portion of the support, and means carried partly by the carriage and partly by said intermediate portion of the `support for controlling and limiting movement of the carriage, including abutment portions at each end of said higher intermediate portion of the support adjacent each of said track portions and engageable by said rollers at the ends of their movement to limit the travel of the carriage.

2. Means for adjustably mounting a seat or the like, comprising an upstanding support, a pair of longitudinally spaced track portions carried by the support, an intermediate portioncarried by said support and projecting above the track portions, a carriage having spaced rollers adapted to travel on said track portions, an intermediate portion of the carriage extending over said higher intermediate portion of the support, and means carried partly by the carriage and partly by said intermediate portion of the support for controlling movement vof the carriage, the end portions of said carriage being of inverted channel form, the webs thereof extending downwardly on either side rof the track portions, andthe rollers being journaled between said webs, the intermediate portion of the carriage being raised, a rack portion carried by said intermediate portion of the carriage, and gear means meshing therewith and jounaled in the intermediate portion of the suppcr 3. Adjustable mounting means for a seat or the like, comprising a supporting member of generally L section, track portions near either end thereof, means for securing the base flange thereof to a desired platform, the central portion of the base flange between the track portions being raised above the platform and having laterally facing abutment portions serially arranged along its free edge, carriage means rollable Aover the track portions of said support, and locking means for releasably holding said carriage against unwanted movement, comprising a detent operatively connected to the carriage and having a holding portion laterally movableto and from aavaese selective engagement with said abutment portions carried by said raised portion of the base flange.

4. Means as set forth in claim 3 in which the central portion of said carriage is elevated above the raised portion of the base ange, and a detent hanger carried by and extending downwardly from the carriage to a position adjacent the raised portion of said base flange, said detent being movable to and from a position in which it bridges and is interlocked with both said hanger portion and said base flange.

5. Means as set for in claim 3 in which the central portion of said carriage is elevated above the raised portion of the base iiange, a detent hanger carried by said carriage and extending downwardly to a position adjacent the raised portion of said base flange, a detent pivoted upon said hanger and swingable to and from a position in which it bridges said raised portion of the base iiange and the hanger, the hanger having a slot therein adjacent the base ange through which the detent extends when in locked position.

6. Means for adjustably supporting a seat or the like. comprising an upstanding support, a pair of longitudinally spaced track portions carried by the support, an intermediate portion carried by said support and projecting abovevthe track portions, a carriage having spaced rollers adapted to travel on said track portions, an intermediate portion of the carriage extending over said higher intermediate portion of the support, and means carried partly by the carriage and partly by said intermediate portion of the support for controlling movement of the carriage, said support is formed of sheet metal, said track portions comprising laterally projecting flanges, said intermediate portion of the support comprising an integral and substantially vertical web having abrupt ends adjacent the inner ends of the track portion, means carried by the carriage for maintaining alignment of the track and carriage, and means carried by the carriage for supporting said rollers in aligned relation with respect to both the track and the abrupt ends of said web, Whereby said abrupt ends may limit movement of the rollers and carriage,

WALTER s. sAUNDERs. 

